Terry Murray Said It All After The Kings 3-2 Loss To The Penguins

(on getting two goals after the home scoreless streak…)
MURRAY: “And then to get the third, and not allowed. It was a high stick, though. They’re good goals. They’re the kind of goals that are in a good hockey game. The puck is in transition, there’s lots of battle, lots of compete. It was a real, good solid hockey game here tonight. Those are the kinds of goals that you’re looking for. Your top guys step up and make plays. They score. Same for them. They got a couple big plays from their top guys. So I think everybody went away pretty happy tonight.’’

(on not getting enough scoring beyond the Kopitar line…)
MURRAY: “Sure. That’s been addressed many, many times in our talks with (the media). Five-on-five scoring is something that we’ve got to get to the next level. I think we’ve got the people in place to do that. We just have to start to get it done. We’ve got some depth. We’ve got three lines that are built, right now, to be able to give us some scoring. We’ve got back-end guys, with Doughty, with Johnson, with Martinez, that can shoot the puck, get up into the play. That has to evolve. That has to come along faster. But I have a little bit of concern. We’re now into the season, into November, and we haven’t got that start that we wanted, on the scoring side.’’

You either have to chalk that up to just trying to stay positive or a coach who is so completely out of touch with his team that he is drinking from a secret stash of extra special mind numbing kool-aid.

This game should have ended 6-2 Penguins. If not for Jonathan Quick, that may have been the final score. He came up with some mind-blowing saves in the first period and in parts of the second and third.

The Pittsburgh Penguins controlled over 40 minutes of the game. Their shots came from the highest percentage shooting areas. I stopped counting after 7 on how many one time shots the Penguins attempted. They set up shots from behind the net, at will. I believe there were also two goal posts hit although I could be wrong there.

Meanwhile, if not for Anze Kopitar willing his way and putting the entire offense on his back, this could have turned into the LA Kings biggest blowout loss of the season. Don’t even get me going on how many zone entries turned into “who’s got the hot potato” and a loss of possession because the Kings had no idea how to gain and keep control of the puck and actually set up a play from (a) behind the net (b) for a cross ice pass or (c) any movement away from the perimeter. Only in bite sized flashes did we see the Kings even try to keep pressure in the offensive zone, one of which was Simon Gagne’s goal. I know they can do it. I know they have the talent for it. For goodness sake, we are built for it and, although the team, as a whole, played better tonight, our “system” does not call for that type of offense and therefore you are going to see it few times and far between games almost as if it was a happy accident. I am still amazed we were in a position to win this game. It just goes to show you how hard certain players want to turn this ship around on their own and how damn hard the Kings were trying tonight. I am proud of our boys. I am just disgusted by how we enter the zone and set up the play 5 on 5. It is designed for failure but for a defensive breakdown.

Alas, none of this matters to our plight. Terry Murray loved it. He thinks everybody went away happy tonight. Guess what, coach. Those of us who watched the game, understand the game, live and die the game, know exactly what happened tonight and you can “sell” that stoic face bullshit to the media all you want because the cold statistics show shots on goal in the same neighborhood as the Penguins but we’re not buying it. The rest of us know that the biggest positive that came out of tonight’s loss was you being one step closer to being relieved of your duties.

Regarding individual players,

1. Drew Doughty just looks awful. Out of sync with not just his own teammates but the game in general. He can’t make a pass, after 2-3 strides, he looks like he is skating by himself and there aren’t 4 teammates out there with him. He turns the puck over at the worst times and it generally results in a scoring chance against. Dean Lombardi warned about what happens when training camp is missed. Some doubted him. Some knew he was right. Doughty looks like a 5-6 D man out there.

2. Dustin Brown has returned to the player who exercises little hockey sense with the puck. He has gotten selfish again, not looking for the open man and taking bad shots from bad angles and putting them short side so the Kings don’t even get a rebound. Brownie plays his best game when he plays the role of a play maker and keeps everything else simple. You may throw vegetables at me for this one, but he and Richards have very little chemistry. I still think Brown should be on Kopitar’s right while Gagne, Richards and Williams make up the second line. Who is the first line left wing? Ready? Jarret Stoll. That’s right. Jarret Stoll. The third line center is Andrei Loktionov. Hey, you asked.

3. Dustin Penner. I tweeted to our followers that Penner is a 6’5″ vagina. Immobile and waiting for something to happen. He had 3 good shifts. He got in front of the net every once in a while. He made one awful turnover and was otherwise just hanging out…waiting…if I was holding a hot dog, I would have thrown it.

4. Although I didn’t like that first goal, Jonathan Quick was otherwise incredible tonight. If we have to rely on Quickie to play lights out and steal games just to have a chance to win, I’ll be writing about our new head coach by January. I want to see Bernier in the next game.

We’ve lost 4 straight. Is that seat beneath you getting warmer, Terry? Or are you really going away happy tonight?

Quick’s playing huge, but you have to wonder when his esteem is gonna get chipped away when he’s playing amazing, yet still losing. All the late night chats with Bill Ranford (awesome name for a Playboy Canada show btw) telling you “chin up, boyo, you can only do so much when you don’t have consistent coverage in front of you” will only leave you confident for so long before your self worth falls to that of a chunky 15 year old girl at Sherman Oaks High with body image issues. How long before we find him in a stall trying to cut himself with a pair of the Trainers’ shears?

Bringing in Bernier not only shares the burden, it gets a good little rivalry going which is good for promoting a healthy level of hate and compete between boys.

I don’t know if you saw it, but after that last shootout goal Quickie broke his stick and threw the handle of it at the glass. I wouldn’t be surprised if his confidence has already been shaken and he came out flat tomorrow. Murray either needs to figure it the hell out or get fired already. On another related TM note, have you seen the practice lines for today? Ridiculous.

“Bringing in Bernier not only shares the burden, it gets a good little rivalry going which is good for promoting a healthy level of hate and compete between boys.”

… There will never be a competition between Jonathan Quick and Jonathan Ersberg. Murray favors Quick. It’s that simple. Ersberg II will be eventually traded away for nothing, and a goalie from the minors will be brought in to back up Quick after the trade. It’s Quick or nothing. Might as well get used to it.

“I don’t know if you saw it, but after that last shootout goal Quickie broke his stick and threw the handle of it at the glass. I wouldn’t be surprised if his confidence has already been shaken and he came out flat tomorrow.”

… He’s just frustrated at the team’s lack of success, as is everyone else on the team. Kopitar broke his stick on the goal in the Edmonton game as well. These guys know what’s happening, and they’re trying their best to turn it around. It makes me laugh when I see people posting stuff about how none of these players care. They obviously DO care; if anything, they’re caring too much, and trying too hard. They’re literally living this struggle.

“On another related TM note, have you seen the practice lines for today? Ridiculous.”

… I don’t see why Murray just doesn’t play Trent Hunter at third line RW; it’s obviously what he wants to do. I don’t understand the need to sabotage Parse in the process. Just release the guy if you don’t want him on the team any more. Putting him in a position to fail doesn’t do him any good and it hurts the team.

It’s getting to the point where it’s useless to talk about who should be out there on a game-to-game basis for this team. They’re going to keep on screwing this up. From the moment the team brought in Moreau and Hunter to “shore up” the bottom six, I knew two things: 1) it had Murray’s fingerprints all over it, and 2) the situation was going to be nothing but trouble for the entire season. Might as well settle in and be amused by it, I guess.

Do you really think Hunter was a bad move though? If he is actually used properly and consistently (I realize that’s a big if) he should add a lot of necessary stability and experience to the bottom 6.

… Clifford isn’t going to make any giant strides forward as long as he’s being played seven minutes a game. It’s one thing to not succeed, it’s another when he’s not being given the chance to succeed. He’s been placed in a position to fail the entire season, and he has failed. It’s not exactly a shock.

“and Lewis not being able to take a step forward offensively”

… Was that a shock? It’s silly to expect any sort of offense from Lewis – anything they get in that regard is a bonus.

“still I think whatever problems the bottom six has pales in comparison of importance to the overall 5-on5 scoring problem as well as a huge problem, Drew Doughty.”

… Doughty will be fine. I have no worries about him whatsoever. He didn’t forget how to play. The circumstances surrounding him this season have been adverse, to put it mildly. He just needs to gradually get back into his rhythm.

JT, I wouldn’t say Clifford is being putin a position to fail. That’s too harsh and doesn’t put enough of Clifford’s own shoulders. Regardless of how much ice time he gets, he can still crash and bang like he dials ast season in whatever minutes he is given. He could be utilized better, to be sure, but regardless of how the coach uses or misuses him, it is on him to go out there and scare people with vicious hits and bring that extreme intensity and tenacity that we expect from him. I think it’s shortsighted to blame allof that on the coach, even though it is partially on the coach.

As for Lewis, well his offense or lack thereof has been his problem since being drafted. He improved in the AHL after a few years, so it was my hope that after getting comfortable in the NHL some scoring touch would come. I’m not expecting much here… Just create a fucking chance or two already.

Doughty… Well in the long run he will be fine, but how long will that take THIS season? If it takes until January, that’s not acceptable, regardless of circumstance he is being payed like a superstar and superstars overcome adversity, especially when it is partly on his own head for causing that adversity in the place. Still think training camp doesn’t matter JT? We are witnessing first hand why it matters.

To be honest Scribe, I thought the Kings played wayyyy better than against Edmonton, and they played really hard tonight. Is “hard” going to count towards wins? Not exactly. But, at times (certainly not for the whole game), but at times, the offense looked like it was getting some rhythm WHEN it was in the zone. Mind you, getting it in the zone was definitely the problem. How many times did Brown opt to dump and change rather attack? Quite a few.

I’m just saying that there was definitely glimpses of offense against a very, very, very good defensive team. The Pens definitely limited point blank shots, and that’s what good defenses do. The Kings gave up a few of those, and allowed goals on rebounds and loose pucks. There was a part of the second period where the game just opened up completely, and even in the last minute and a half of overtime it was pretty open. That said, I thought the Kings had the game in their grasp and were really just a penalty shot or two away from winning. I don’t feel that bad losing to the Pens in a SO, especially knowing how hard fought of a game it was.

My beef with Murray with this game was definitely the limited use of Westgarth. Not because I think he’s going to make a difference, but if you’re going to take out one of the Kings top 2 or 3 defensive forwards in Lewis, you do it for more than 2 minutes of ice time and four shifts from the team’s worst player. The game was getting chippy in the first period and Westgarth never did anything at full strength in the first, even though that time was limited. That was his opportunity and Murray didn’t have any of it. Lewis is way too important to the defensive integrity of this team to be bench for such a waste.

Westgarth can’t do shit. When was the last time he actually “won” a fight? I can remember several where he was left bloodied. Ever since the John Scott fight, he hasn’t been the same, not that he was all that good of a fighter. That wide open style may work in the AHL but not against the big boys.

Regarding the game, you see, that is exactly the attitude I fear. You can look at this game and state “it was better” and I agree with you. But it wasn’t good, it was not acceptable by the standards of a team that considers itself a contender. We could not sustain much pressure in the offensive zone. We were in a perimeter game on every singe zone entry that was not part of a transition due to a turnover. There were a few exceptions and those were exclusive to the 1st line and entirely Kopitar willed. That sucks. That worries me. That tells me, except for Kopitar, nobody else is willing to get the puck to the center of the ice, to the scoring areas. That is 1 out of 6 top forwards who is willing when at least 3 more are quite ABLE.

I know I watch the nuances of the game but, right now, I see a team that cannot generate offense 5 on 5 on set zone entries. I see a team that needs turnovers and a quick transition to score more than 1 goal per game. That will make this a long season if something does not change fast.

Oh I completely agree with you. I just think it was a better effort against a better team, but you’re right. They can’t play a 5-on-5 game right now.

Agree with Westy too. I don’t think Westgarth has won a fight since he broke Koci’s face. But if his role is “enforcer”, then at least play him like one. Wasting him in a role he never plays is just a waste of a roster spot. Lewis and Richardson and Moreau are way too important to be starched.

As a Kings fan, I think we’ve been conditioned to this mentality and we fall back on it. It always feels like we are rebuilding when in fact, we’re built. We are as ready as we have ever been with this line up and its a mental shift that is needed. Gretzky once said about hockey “That’s my puck, you go get your own” and we need more of a it’s ours, get the fuck out of the way or get steam rolled outlook.

I love Westgarth, but why bring him up if you’re not gonna use him? Clifford, who became my favorite player last season, has underwhelmed and I think part of it is he plays better when he’s expected to crack heads and take punches which he hasn’t been doing much. Put the responsibility on him to bring the thunder and take the fights and I think it lifts the team up. Brown may even get inspired to start hitting instead of trying to to do that same god damn Bure move pulling it from behind between his feet on his backhand that he’s beaten to death. All the new guys are fitting into their roles, but I think some of our veterans are not sure what their role on the team is on their job on the ice is this season. Stoll I’m looking in your handsome ass direction.

Bobby, not all of our shots were on the perimeter. Near as I figured (I counted) it was close to even when 5-5.

Counting only close in shots from within the hash marks and angling to the sides of the net:

Kings 9 + 2 short handed, and 0 on the PP
Pens 9 + 5 on the PP and 1 short handed.

Both Kings goals and one Pens goal came from close in.

(The ratio was 4:1 in favor of the Oilers two nights before)

Both Kopitar and Greene stood out in my eyes.The face offs were good. But this was the Pens B team back to back. That sucks.

The worst moment of the game for me was the Murray Bench interview when the Kings were buzzing the Pen’s net. In essence he said “i like the shot mentality but they had two odd man rushes, we have to stop that.”

That comment cinched it for me. The Kings problem is coaching along with poorly chosen support players including Moreau (who was lucky to have been called for just two penalties). Man, two odd man rushes…what the fuck does Murray think Quick is good for?

Also note, it was another Penner blind give away that led to the 5-3 penalty sequences comment summed it up for me

You can’t count transition plays. I am talking about set plays, after we set up the play. Of course the shots will come from high percentage scoring areas on the transition. That is because those are a 3 on 2, 2 on 2 or 2 on 1 attack. Look at the zone entries and the shots if we are fortunate enough to maintain possession. Great majority come from the outside because there is no effort to do otherwise.

Bar manager: Yeah Dustin this is Guido from the El Cid Lounge…hey there big guy I heard you may wanna come and play for our team. Whatta say there big guy? I’ve got the perfect spot for you…and all the beer and nuts you want.

Penner: How’d you get my number?

Bar manager: Hey fuggettaboutit…you can bat clean up. Whatta ya say?

Penner: murmurs Fucking Dean…click!

Bar manager: Hello? Yo Penner you there big guy?!? ….Fucking asshole just hung up on me!

My two cents, the problem for the Kings (as was so obvious in the Edmonton game) is their inability to get in behind the defense on the attack. Until the Kings can gain entry into the offensive zone and put sustained pressure on the goalies/defensemen (by turning them around) they will have low scoring games. Too often the Kings play along the boards and never get the puck deep into the zone. The only times I see the puck down low is when the Kings dump it there. In those cases, for the most part, the opposing D simply move it out of there and back on their attack.

One of the odd techniques the Kings have employed to get the puck into the zone is by having a forward stand still at the blue line and tip a defenseman’s pass/shot into the zone. This strategy is odd because you are holding up your attack at the blue line in order to get pressure and risking an icing if the forward misses the tip (Dustin Penner). Why not move players through the neutral zone with speed or simply make the pass on the fly while the forwards are skating. I don’t think standing still is a good start for this team and its so-called offensive attack. Touch passes are not impossible, but when you see other teams do it night in and night out (The Pens especially) it makes you wonder what exactly the plan is?

To that end, as I’ve said before, the Kings strategy is not only conservative but more often than not quells creativity. The creativity to create space, make plays, and improvise are discouraged in favor of a rigid shutdown game that puts immense pressures on defensemen and goalies who must play at sustained high levels in order for the Kings just to get even. There should be no misconception about the importance of team defense and defensive cohesion, but when you consistently have trouble scoring there just might be something not working on the attack.

I don’t think TM is willing to adjust his system. Yes cycling is a necessary part of the game. If you don’t cycle the puck you will not stay in the zone for very long especially with an NHL size rink.

Watching how Phoenix and Dallas cycle the puck they like to keep one guy down below the goal line and cycle the puck down that way in a triangle where it helps keep the puck off the boards a little more. Also, by being below the goal you have your D man having to watch him. That means his back is turned away and has a harder time seeing what is going on behind him. If a forward can creep in to the slot the guy down low will try and connect. The goalie has to stay deep if the guy down low trys to stuff the puck on a wrap around.

When the Kings cycle the puck, you’re right they do it in the more traditional way close to the boards. It’s a helluva lot more difficult to make plays when you’ve got your guy Facing the boards trying to get possession of the puck rather than facing the play to try and make plays.

But there’s also not a lot of patience with the puck. The puck carrier has room to move if he has some speed. There’s not a lot of patience with the puck with this “shot mentality.” It’s enter the zone and shoot on net. It’s retarded. I mean yes you will score goals but it will be much less likely that that happens versus some guy coming in 5 or 6 feet in the slot getting a feed from the guy down below the goal line. Gretzky was the master at this.

Lack of patience is the albatross of the entire system. It is my one word answer when people ask me my problem with Murray’s system. It is based on the faulty premise of quickly getting rid of the puck – his dump and chase, 70’s era cycle, shot mentality is all based on a lack of sustained puck possession. Want to see the opposite of that? Tonight’s Penguins. I am telling you. But for Quick, this game was a blowout.

“One of the odd techniques the Kings have employed to get the puck into the zone is by having a forward stand still at the blue line and tip a defenseman’s pass/shot into the zone. This strategy is odd because you are holding up your attack at the blue line in order to get pressure and risking an icing if the forward misses the tip (Dustin Penner). Why not move players through the neutral zone with speed or simply make the pass on the fly while the forwards are skating. I don’t think standing still is a good start for this team and its so-called offensive attack. Touch passes are not impossible, but when you see other teams do it night in and night out (The Pens especially) it makes you wonder what exactly the plan is?”

It might seem a little weird but the reason why they do this is because whoever the puck carrier is they most likely haven’t gained the red line and in wanting to get the puck deep they are sending it to the guy there to poke it in deep. So you’re then negating an icing call.

What that guy should be doing is rather than tipping it into the zone is hold onto the puck. (Given that they are not going for a line change) Gretzky used to do this quite a bit. Once the puck crosses the blue line youre team is good to go. So ideally if you have a guy on the blue line, receives the puck and then both forwards then skating into the zone the D has to back off and defend against the other forwards entering the zone. But the now the guy on the blue line has Possession of the puck. And he should have some space to work with . But it creates Options. Lot different than this “shot mentality I’m gonna throw the puck at the net no real options”.

This is interesting. I will look for this more. In the past 3 games, I have been so focused on what happens after we enter the zone that I haven’t paid attention to that second pass post breakout or regroup. Have you noticed this pass coming from the RW? Does it occur have the first breakout pass? Where is the LW? I may want to watch for it and draw a diagram.

Ideally you’ll want the pass coming in cross ice behind (or in front the timing’s tough not a lotta room in the neutral zone) the forwards heading towards the blue line. Once that puck crosses the blue line on his stick, the forwards will have momentum entering the zone. The forward could be standing in the neutral zone but as long as the puck is in the zone we’re cool.

The defenders must back off or they are fucked. With only two D men that guy on the blue line is trying to get open but someone should be closing in on him real quick. The pass will, most likely, be coming from the D who has not gained the red line yet. The opposing team may be trying to trap him to the boards and force a dump in at the red. So it’s really a matter of positioning where the D coming into the neutral zone is relative to where the forwards are.

The first breakout pass is typically the half wall so that’s too far back. But one thing that they try and do now since there’s no such thing as a two line pass anymore is if the other team is changing and the D or goalie can pass it up to our forwards quickly enough we might have possession with the other team scrambling to get back on D.

This is all good in theory but most of the time the guy standing still is covered like flies on shit and all he can do is tip it in, because he is standing still. I think the solution is to just abandon having a guy standing still all the gotdamn time, and let people cut into lanes, or draw defenders with their cuts and open up space for the puck carrier. Or have someone else cutting and attacking that defender’s part of the ice so he can’t be draped all over the guy who’s standing.

They’ll be back against the Sharks. Small losing streak, can’t score, no biggie. This team can rattle of 8 to 10 wins in a row when motivated. The problem is the motivation and whether or not Murray is the cause of its lack.

I agree with Murray needing to go. My hubbypat coached my son for 8 years and we tend to give the coaches more of a benefit of the doubt than others who have no coaching exp. But there does come a time when the team out grows the coach. Putting a team together is not an overnight accomplishment, and we all know that. He has taken the team from nothing to the playoffs. Its just a fact. But I don’t see him taking them farther, the time has come for the next level of coaching.

Disagree with your Brownie observation. Yes, he was carrying the puck too far alone but its because Brownie plays with 110% passion. No, he isn’t the most graceful skater but I’m telling you that kid wants it so bad he will plow through and when those times come I really wish some other Kings recognized that look and would follow behind. And you can’t tell me otherwise! :-)

Penner. ok, I see the disappointment in him by our fans. I’m disappointed too. But the hatred? There was this man sitting behind us last night screaming at Penner the whole game!. And we are not too far behind the players bench that I know Penner could hear him sometimes. I was embarrassed. I want Penner to succeed. I’m going to continue to support him and hope something turns around. Whether you like it or not, he is on the team and until he isn’t, not sure how much the hatred helps. The guy behind us yells something like he wants Penner to come up there so he can punch him. The guy is like mid-50’s and all of 5-7. My hubbypat turns and tell him that if Penner came up there to him, he’d shit his pants. LOL, the guys says all serious “no, Id have him sit next to me and I’d punch him: What a douchbag.

I think Brownie is trying too hard. I was concerned about putting him on the same line with Richards where there would be an ego clash. It’s clear that Richards is a better, smarter player than Brown. I think it would be better for the team if Richards were captain and maybe he is becoming that just not wearing the C.

Brown needs to settle down and just play his game. I agree that he wants it really badly but it’s a little too much and he’s never really been that dangler guy. I kinda feel bad for him that way. It’s like he’s trying too hard to impress us that he’s worthy of wearing the C.

That guy yelling at Pens is an idiot. Pens would Drill that guy. I’d like to see that guy get on the ice and have Pens take a couple runs at him. Should change his mind real quick. I’m hoping that he’s just having a slow start. I think he wants to play here but I’m not really sure. So I guess I’m questioning his sincerity. Hopefully he’ll start picking it up here soon and have his best season.

Excellent post. I think sometimes fans think everything is an easy fix, and we should just make trades, or waive players without any real objectivity. Just emotional shortsightedness. Happens to all the players. We can’t change that Penner is on the team, we can only deal with how to use him till he comes through, or is no longer on the team.

He isn’t going anywhere for the rest of the season, so we just have to make the best of it. If he doesn’t come through, who will trade for him? and if he does then why would you trade him?

All those Yahoo’s who bitch and moan aren’t convincing DL, so it’s just hot air, and their character shows when they start trying to rant openly, and agressively without a care in the world as to how other fans feel.

I remember those same types calling Gretzky, and Palffy bums, because the team was losing.

Brown has to be smarter. He isn’t some 19 year old kid trying to find his way in the league. He is surrounded by a lot of talent. He neutralizes that talent when he takes the dumb shot from the outside to the short side, when he has an open lane for the pass and instead skates himself into a corner or, most aggravating, when he doesn’t keep his shots from better scoring areas LOW so it creates a rebound. The moment that puck gets more than 3 feet on off the ice, the goalie won’t give up a rebound.

I love every player that wears our jersey. Penner needs watch Holmstrom and model his game after him. That is his game. He plays it. He is worth the dollars he is paid…actually, not really, but he is worth more than the milk toast he is today.

Would love to see some of Holmstroms’ game in Penner. That would be exactly what the team needs. Surprised I never made that connection with how to improve Penners game. I kind of looked at him as sort of an enigma wrapped in a mystery (I know it’s backwards, which is kind of the point). Hope he pulls through for us, because he’s here all season.

I would add that I had the same hope for Poni, and I was rewarded with 16 points. Maybe there’s a pattern here, but I’m just not seeing it. lol

Also, I wouldn’t mind seeing Brown fire that shot at the pads more, instead of where the goalie can control it better.

Why is there no serious talkes by the NHL about what can be done to more accurately call those border-line high stick goals? Humans can put a man in outer space and they’re telling me they kind find a way to put a camera at goal post level? How many times have we seen these types of caps determine the outcomes of games. This is one thing that has to change. Not saying the Browns goal was good, not saying it wasn’t good. It was too hard to tell from our angles. Oh ya, if I made that weak back hand play that Penner did just inside my blue line in Midget hockey, I wouldnt have seen the ice untill I signed myself up for beer
league 10 yrs later.

Simple, because he isn’t hitting enough. Regardless of how many points he scores he needs to bring that dimension to his game for anyone to be satisfied. We need his physical presence in an otherwise softish top 6. Kopi Is tough but Not brutal. So if brown isn’t hitting then Richards is our only tough ass top sized.

Particularly when we are a dump and chase team, we need to be absolutely punishing defensemen along the boards to be successful and Brown is a huge part of that.

Fair enough, but it’s kind of a catch 22. When Brown is hitting, the biggest knock on him is he puts himself out of position. I think TM, and Brown have both stated (and Jim Fox I believe) that Brown is going to concentrate on putting up points this year, and that the hitting will go down.

This is a decision that I think is a conscious effort by the team, not just Brown playing soft by his own accord.

… LOL. Brown is always the most unfairly maligned player on the team. If he’s scoring, people bitch about his hitting. If he’s hitting, people bitch about his scoring. If he’s drawing penalties, people bitch that he’s diving. If he’s hitting and scoring, people bitch about his defense, He just can’t win.

Yes, Brown’s the captain of the team. That doesn’t mean he’s going to all of a sudden turn into Mark Messier. He is what he is, a solid and intelligent but flawed player with his own collection of abilities. Personally, with the league hysteria about checking people, I think it’s smart of him to tone that part of his game down.

Brown gets a lot of scrutiny, yes. Is it unfair? Sometimes. The problem is that he at times has shown us he can do everything, sometimes he does it all, other times he excels in only one area. No one wants anything more from Brown than he has done often in the past, we just want the consistency. That’s not unfair. He has always been a better passer than shooter, his game has always been at its best when he is hitting people. I don’t particularly care if he is unfairly maligned or that you think people will always pick on him… That only started when he was named captain, which I have never been a big fan of in the first place. I want the best Brown has to offer, and since he has ALWAYS been one of the. Best in the league at delivering big CLEAN hits, he should stand by his game and his ability to lay out debasing clean hits and continue to do so until Shanahan comes down on him, which isn’t a given. To just curdle and turtle that aspect of his game because Shanahan is out to get assholes like Matt Cooke is cowardly, not smart.

“But Jim Fox asked him specifically if it was becuase the NHL is cracking down on hits, and he said no”

… LMAO, come on now. I heard that, too. What do you expect him to say to the media? That the crackdown has affected his playing style? I doubt it. He’ll know when the time is right to turn that element of his game on, if ever.

I pretty much agree, except, he is a diver, and that shit is annoying no matter what team he’s on. I don’t want the NHL turning into the World Cup like it did last spring with Vancouver.

I sometimes don’t understand everyone critiquing Brown for taking the puck in all alone and trying to beat the entire team on his own. wtf else is he going to do, dump it in?

The longer it is on his stick, the deeper the puck will go, and the longer it stays in our possession. Half the time he brings it in there isn’t a gotdamn forward open or available for support anyways (because our system is awful and everyone is always in the wrong place at the right time and the opponent is almost always back with numbers).